Frozen
by AgentT
Summary: The crew finds a Nietzchean warship with one mysterious person on board
1. Frozen Chapter 1

  
The Andromeda Ascendant cruised through the reaches of space, a single vessel in the darkness of time and space. A nearby sun graced her sleek hull with its penetrating rays. The Andromeda shone like a golden ship, sailing towards victory.   
  
Dylan Hunt sat in his quarters, admiring the beauty of the stars from his quarters. He remembered times like these; they seemed to happen a lot. Without the rest of his former crew of what could be hundreds, he had five. But five was enough. The Commonwealth was a grand structure, and its soldiers were the most highly trained. But where their honor came from training and loyalty to the cause, these sole five fought because their hearts were in it. Their loyalty was matched and their honor also, but where ensigns could take a stand against the enemy and proclaim victory for the Systems Commonwealth, these five did what they did for each other, not for any government. And certainly not for themselves.   
  
Seamus Harper ran down the corridor, as fast as he could. Beka, who was leaving the sickbay, almost collided with him.   
  
"Whoa. Slow down, Harper. What's going on?" She asked.   
  
Harper breathed fast, his hand gesturing as if to say "no time."   
  
Suddenly, the ship shuddered and both Beka and Harper were thrown to the floor.   
  
Dylan was jolted from his thoughts and he quickly contacted the bridge.   
  
"Rommie, what just happened?" He asked.   
  
"We seem to have collided with some kind of Nietzchean net." Rommie said. Her tone went to confusion. "The sensors are going offline, I can't stop them."  
  
When Dylan got to the bridge, the team was assembled there. They saw nothing ahead of them, only darkness and stars. Just space. But Rommie knew it was there because she had seen it before whatever it was made the sensors malfunction.   
  
"Any damage?" Dylan asked.   
  
"No, none at all. The sensors, however, are offline. This doesn't seem to be damage, though. Someone or something overrode my command and disrupted them. All my attempts at getting them back have failed."   
  
"So who's out there?" Harper asked. "And I can say right now, I don't like the sound of this."  
  
"Neither do I." Dylan said. He momentarily flitted his eyes away from the screen as Tyr walked in. "Rommie, you say this…net…is Nietzchean?"   
  
"Yes, Captain, our data shows-"  
  
"Impossible." Tyr interrupted. "The Nietzcheans have no technology like this."   
  
"You might not have known about this, Tyr. Commonwealth data indicate that at the time, Nietzcheans were suspected of trying to build such a device. One that traps ships and is undetectable by sensors."   
  
"But we detected it." Beka said. "Rommie knew before our sensors got jammed."   
  
"What if it's broken?" Harper said, working from his console. 'Rommie, how does this net work?" He avoided calling it a Nietzchean net. Tyr would've used him as a basketball if he had.   
  
"Our information is severely limited, but it is possible that the net works as an invisible trap. Any ship that passes by the net sends out a signal. If the signal is in the Nietzchean database, then it recognizes it as a friend and lets it pass. But all ship signatures are unique. Any ship passing that does not send out a Nietzchean signal activates the net and is trapped."   
  
"So….if that's all true, then there should be a Nietzchean ship around here right?" Beka asked.   
  
"Not necessarily." Rommie stated. "The net is activated when a non-Nietzchean signature passes, but it does not have to be activated by anyone. The system could be run on an automatic basis and it could inform any nearby ship of its new capture."  
  
Dylan thought for a minute. "So that still doesn't explain why we had it on our sensors."   
  
"As I said, it could've been broken. If the Nietzcheans-" He shot a look to Tyr, who attempted to look calm. "-Had really developed this kind of technology to help them with the war, then they would want to get it out there as fast as possible. But, if they couldn't perfect it in time to do so, they would probably have to cut across and make a few shortcuts."   
  
"Like cloaking." Beka said. "If they couldn't find a permanent cloaking device for this net in time to help the war, they probably installed something separate from the net."  
  
"What I would like to know now is how we get out." Harper said.   
  
Suddenly, the ship quaked again. They each held on to something for stability.   
  
When the shaking had stopped, Dylan stood up. "Rommie, what happened?"  
  
"The net-it's gone." Andromeda appeared confused. She looked at Dylan with perplexed eyes.   
  
"What do you mean, it's gone?"   
  
"It's not there. Sensors are back online and-there's a ship."   
  
The crew looked toward the screen as a massive ship loomed in front of them.   
  
Behind them, Tyr muttered softly one word.   
  
"Pixanthi."  
  
"So the Pixanthi was a great Nietzchean warship?" Beka asked. Tyr nodded.   
  
"She won many battles." He shook his head. "Whichever one it lost, it lost hard."   
  
"There are no life signs on board." Andromeda said. "All systems seem to be in stasis. I can't be sure whether they still work. The net seems to have been activated by the ship's onboard computer."   
  
"I thought you said all systems were in stasis." Dylan said.   
  
"They are. Whoever was alive last apparently has programmed the onboard computer to repeat the net's main function until core energy ran out in approximately 3 years."   
  
Dylan nodded.   
  
"Okay, people. Prepare to board." Dylan said. They nodded and one by one, they filed out.   
  
As Tyr left, Harper reluctantly approached him.   
  
"Hey." He said.   
  
Tyr looked behind him at the young man. "Yes?"  
  
"I, uh, I've been doing some research on the net thing that snagged us. You didn't know at all that your people were doing this?"   
  
Tyr stopped. Seeing Harper's hesitant reaction towards all the movement he made, he wanted to just shout at the man to stop being scared. There was no reason to be. He sighed.   
  
"When my pride was betrayed by our own people…let's just say that the lines of communication ran sour." He said. "Whatever might have happened after the Kodiak left has not been known to me."   
  
"Okay." Harper said. Tyr might intimidate him, but he knew the big guy well enough to know that whenever he spoke of his pride or any of the others that had betrayed his, it was a big issue and something that he didn't have the utmost desire to talk about.   
  
Harper inched away slowly, like he was trying to slowly back off, as not to awake a sleeping dragon.   
  
"You shouldn't be afraid, you know." Tyr said.   
  
Harper shrugged. "I know." He said. "I'm not."   
  
***  
  
Beka stuck her head out the transport doors. "Hurry up, Harper."   
  
"I'm hurrying, I really am." Harper said, moving in the same pace he was before. "This takes time, Beka. I can't just throw some things into a duffel bag and get on. Nietzchean ships are a bit different. Especially with this Net device coming from the ship."   
  
"We don't know that it does." Dylan said, coming in.   
  
"But Rommie said it might have and where else would it come from? She found it embedded into the computer to repeat it's actions over and over."   
  
Harper was finally done. He hooked something small to his belt and grinned at Beka, who just shooed him inside. When she, Harper, Dylan, and Tyr were in, they started to make their way toward the vessel.   
  
"It's so hollow." Tyr said. "Whoever did this, they did not leave unscathed." He said.  
  
"What do you mean?" Dylan asked.   
  
"Space debris. Despite being idle for such a long time, there is still some floating around. And some of it isn't from the Pixanthi." He pointed to some chunks of debris. They were clearly not belonging to the Pixanthi.   
  
"Docking now." Beka said. The transport trembled as they landed inside the docking bay.   
  
"How many of our many exciting and life-risking adventures start out just like this?" Harper whispered as they left.   
  
"A whole lot." Dylan replied. They started to command.   
  
The ship was dark and cold. The bitter frigidness of space had penetrated the great battle ship's hull. Harper shuddered and sighed. His breath made white clouds.   
  
"I'm gonna see if I can get us some heat in this fridge." He walked to one of the consoles. A moment later, he frowned. "Uh, you guys?"   
  
Dylan turned. 'What is it?"  
  
"The engineering console says that Sickbay is still up and running." He looked up. "And there's someone there."   
  
Tyr grunted at the familiar steel of the ship. It looked a whole lot like the other ones. If not for it's name and following reputation, this ship could've been easily mistaken for a lesser craft. He ran a hand along its now dusty walls. He wanted to go back so much then, to be accepted in his own. But that wasn't his fault. The people they trusted with their lives had betrayed them. No, he was not accepted. And if he was, then they did not deserve the kindness any surviving member of the Kodiak pride would offer.   
  
His eyes adjusted to the harsh light as Harper opened the Sickbay doors. The lights were still on and it seemed like the ship was never dead. All the consoles were active and several small beeps emitted from some of them.   
  
"This is Captain Dylan Hunt of the starship Andromeda. Is there anyone here?" He asked.   
  
Nothing.   
  
Harper quickly looked over the technology and started reading some of the consoles.   
  
He stooped to remove a panel to expose the wiring, and almost tripped over a small piece of block that was jutting out from the wall. He looked at it and backed away.   
  
"Uh…" He said. The others turned.   
  
"I think I found them."   
  
***   
  
"According to this, her name is Kait Silus. She was about 20 years old when she was frozen cryogenically." Beka read off a chart. "I wonder why."   
  
"Perhaps she was injured and during battle this was the only option." Tyr said. "What pride is she?"  
  
Beka shook her head. "Doesn't say."   
  
"The Pixanthi was stationed with many different members of different tribes. We can't just guess." Tyr said. He started to press buttons.   
  
"What are you looking for?" Dylan asked.   
  
"A log. Anything to tell us why she was on board." He said. "And what the ship was commanded to do."   
  
"And what happened to it." Dylan said, his eyes roving about the interior of the Sickbay.  
  
"Harper, it's still freezing here." Beka said, shaking.   
  
"I'm on it." Harper looked at Tyr, diligently searching, and took off for engineering.   
  
"I'll be on the command deck." Dylan said. He turned to Tyr. "Make sure nothing gets touched until we know what's going on."  
  
Tyr nodded, not taking his eyes off the screen.   
  
Dylan and Beka walked through the silent halls, the hollow echo of their boots clanking against the floor.   
  
"I think Tyr has sentimental value with finding out who this cryo is." Beka said.   
  
'Well, we are on a Nietzchean ship." Dylan said. "It was the same way with Rommie when we went to the Pax."   
  
Beka nodded. "True. But what if he does find out who she is and what pride she's from? What then? I'm just afraid that he's going to spend a lot of time and energy to find something that probably won't make him feel any different."   
  
***   
  
"Rommie, I need the plans for the Nietzchean ship." Harper said, staring at the jumbled mass of wires that had greeted him when he had pried open a panel.   
  
"You said you didn't need them.' Rommie said, not without a twinge of amusement.   
  
"Oh yeah, I gave you sarcasm." Harper said. "Remind me never to do that."   
  
"I'm sending them now." Rommie said. "How are things over there?"  
  
"All right. It's Siberia in here, so I'm trying to get some heat going. But uh, I'm going to need to access the ship logs and captains logs."  
  
"My scan indicates that the temperature is currently 46 degrees Fahrenheit." Andromeda said.   
  
"That's mightily cold." Harper said. "Any answers as to why?"  
  
"None so far. The heating division of the life support system doesn't seem to be malfunctioning."   
  
"Then someone probably turned it off." He said. "Can you get the heat back up?"  
  
"Not from here." Andromeda said. She paused. "I can, however, scan some odd files that are embedded in the logs as high security transmissions."   
  
"That's good." Harper said.   
  
He worked some more. When he had found the life support systems, he reeled back.   
  
"Whoa." He said. "Rommie, you better get over here."   
  
***   
  
"Basically, the life support system and the Sickbay cryogenic units are connected. If I touch the life support, I don't know what the cryo will do. And I can't touch the cryo unit because well, there's a person in there." Harper said, gesturing towards the tube.   
  
They were sitting in Sickbay, where he had revealed his latest news.   
  
"So we can't get heat without defrosting the frosted." Beka said, sighing. "Will the temperature remain the same?"  
  
"I don't know. There probably hasn't been anyone here in a long time. I don't know how live bodies would affect the balance of the life support system." He shook his head. "Rommie says that we could reinitiate the Nietzchean ship and it would detect our presence."   
  
"But we're not Nietzcheans." Beka said.   
  
Harper rolled his eyes. "Duh. But Tyr is."   
  
***   
  
Tyr Anasazi's eyes roamed the console, scrolling down bits and pieces of information. He read the information like a book. The logs were full of the Pixanthi's adventures and victories. Rarely did he come across a defeat. Tyr felt a sense of pride for his fellow Nietzcheans, but among the human crew, he could feel only anger that they had killed so many. And had gloated. If they were any more primitive, Tyr thought they could've hoisted the heads of the High Guard on poles to display. And perhaps a tribal dance to compliment it.   
  
"Tyr." Dylan walked into command, followed by Beka.   
  
"I haven't found anything, unfortunately. The Pixanthi was more successful in battle than I thought. Everything is full of their conquests and their victories. They were so full of pride." He said.   
  
"You say it like it's a bad thing." Beka said, surprised. There was some part of him in this ship after all.   
  
Tyr thought for a minute. "Pride comes to those who can admit defeat. And mourn for those they have killed. These records…all of them, they're all covered by pride. Somewhere along the way, the Pixanthi lost some battles, I am sure of it. And yet her captain felt it was vital to his own ego to cover them up as victories." Tyr shook his head.   
  
"By the way…who is the captain?" Dylan said.   
  
"His name was Leonai Soma. He took very good care of her." He said, looking around. "But his records are sketchy at best. And of course, the last entry was a success in battle."   
  
"When was that?" Beka asked, watching the Nietzchean language roll by.   
  
"About a hundred fifteen years ago." Tyr said. "The medical log is full of lists…things about crew injuries, and battle scars. But nothing much on the cryogenic capsule."   
  
"Harper's found the life support system. And its tied to the Cryo unit." Dylan said. "We can't risk doing anything to the unit, but we think we can try to reactivate the ship. It seems to be in a stasis of some sort, if we can reactivate it…we might be able to get into the old memory and dig through the lies you see in that record."   
  
"And a non-Nietzchean presence might alert the ship in the wrong way." Tyr concluded. Beka smiled.   
  
"Exactly." She grinned and tapped him on the shoulder. "Whenever you're ready."   
  
Tyr looked at her. 'In that case, we should do it now." He said. "I would like to know what really happened."   
  
Dylan, Tyr, and Beka entered the Pixanthi's engineering bay. The machines hummed along and though most of the displays were dark and unused, parts of the room were lit up. Charts and status displays littered the space.   
  
Beka frowned. "Harper?"  
  
Nothing.   
  
Dylan stooped down and saw Harper's utility belt lying on the floor. Various tools were scattered around the floor.   
  
"Harper, this isn't funny. Where are you?" Beka's heart started to beat a little faster. She looked at several small black units lying on one of the counters. "Hey. Heat packs."   
  
"Well…let's use them then." Dylan said, hooking one to his arm. Beka did the same and handed one to Tyr. Since there was none left, she assumed that Harper already had his. Wherever he was.   
  
"Harper?" Dylan shouted.   
  
No answer.   
  
"He might be somewhere else." Tyr said.   
  
"I just contacted him a few minutes ago, he knew we were coming down here." Beka sighed. "He's probably with Rommie."   
  
"Well, spread out. I'm sure he's around here somewhere. He's probably just doing some diagnostics." Dylan said and Beka and Tyr nodded. They separated.   
  
"It just doesn't make sense." Rommie said.   
  
"Of course it doesn't." Harper said. "None of this does."   
  
"And you shouldn't be in here." Rommie said. "You could get hurt."   
  
"Oh, sure, I can get hurt but if the brave and intrepid Captain Hunt goes along for the ride, it's not a problem?" Harper said to the Andromeda Avatar inside the Pixanthi's log.   
  
"It's different. He was using the outside interface on the Pax. And I had more control then. Here, it's different. If this ship detects me as a specific Commonwealth ship…. let's just say it's not just you that's in trouble. And it's different for you, since you're directly linked in." Rommie sighed and rolled her eyes at the grinning Harper.   
  
"No problem, Rommie. Now let's try to find ourselves a Cryogenically frozen girl." He said.   
  
Rommie looked around. Their surroundings were not much different than anything else she had seen. The language was of course different and the ship was very quiet, almost asleep, but it was manageable. And of course, it was no AI. Everything they did, the computer would probably obey. There was no sentient being to consider their requests.   
  
"Okay." Rommie breathed in slowly. "Access last three medical logs."   
  
The computer's information flew past them like wind, and they were taken to the Sickbay. This time, there were people, and they were going about their business like a normal crew.   
  
"There it is." Harper said. "But where's the girl?"  
  
"There." Rommie pointed. A young girl walked into the room, her hair hanging down on her shoulders. She had dark hair and her face held such a serenity.   
  
"She's a babe." Harper commented.   
  
"She's been cryogenically stored for eleven decades and that's the only observation you can make?" Rommie asked, looking at him.  
  
Harper shrugged. "I can make other observations. Like uh, her outfit. It's distinctly not Nietzchean or of any of the crew."   
  
"She's being frozen, it doesn't mean she has to wear the same clothes." Andromeda said.   
  
"Pixanthi, show next medical log." Rommie commanded. They were taken into another scene, though they hadn't left Sickbay.   
  
This scene showed a group of Nietzchean crew members doing various things. To the side, an injured man laid, his arm bloody and burned.   
  
"That must've hurt." Harper said, grimacing.   
  
Suddenly, the ship shook. The doors swished open and several more injured were brought in.   
  
"Looks like a battle." Rommie said. She looked at the Cryo capsule, standing in the corner of the room.   
  
"Yeah, but with who?" Harper said. "You heard Tyr. This ship was one of the most powerful Nietzchean warships. It'd take a big bad to force this thing into retirement."   
  
Rommie frowned. "Access medical officer's log."   
  
The Sickbay scene disappeared and they were now surrounded by the normal flow of the Nietzchean language.   
  
"Medical log. Subject was placed into the unit. The ship has sustained massive damages and is currently traveling through the Haxas Sector. That old fool Soma won't turn around and at least attempt to go in for repairs. The nearest base is only a few days away and he won't risk battle injuries to at least fix the ship. We are all surely condemned to our deaths here."   
  
"The captain was too proud to admit that his ship had ever been damaged." Harper said.   
  
"The problem is, the ship looks wrecked, but internally, it's only got a few kinks." Harper said, tapping the walls.   
  
"Could the Nietzcheans have developed some kind of biologically regenerative component?" Rommie asked. She sighed. "Three hundred years doesn't do much to help my memory banks.'   
  
"Don't worry bout it. This hunk of junk is at least a hundred years adrift. Any information you have should give us help."   
  
"Access final log." Rommie said.   
  
"Wow." Harper said as the area around them changed, dissolving into nothing, and then reappearing as something else. Around them, the ship was damaged, exploding, and there was shouting everywhere.   
  
"The last battle." Rommie said. "It would've been useless for the Pixanthi captain to lie in his reports. The archives would've shown them all."   
  
"Unless he planned to delete them. Call it an accidental technical difficulty."   
  
Out of the blue, there was a high-pitched squeal. Harper and Rommie both covered their ears.  
  
"What the hell is that?" Harper asked.   
  
"The ship." Rommie said, her eyes shut. "It found us."   
  
Then, in a brilliant haze of white, there was nothing.   



	2. Frozen Chapter 2

***  
  
"Harper!" A voice jolted him into consciousness. The young man woke up and rubbed his eyes.   
  
"What?" He said groggily. His eyes adjusted and he saw a familiar blonde staring at him.   
  
"Beka?"   
  
"Among the stupid things you've done, this is about the stupidest." She said as a way of welcoming him back.   
  
Then he remembered. His eyes went wide. "Where's-"   
  
"Back on the Andromeda. Don't worry. She's fine." Beka said. " Why you decided to go into the Nietzchean ship, I'll never know."  
  
"Rommie said that the ship had found us." He said.   
  
"Yes, and it activated it's security measures. You're lucky it only kicked you out. Half of it's security was damaged. It would've killed you if it were fully operational. "  
  
Harper shook his head and sat up. He tried to stand up but the dizziness kept him down. "The reactivation, there's-"  
  
"Get some rest." Beka said, pushing him back down. He was too dizzy to reply. Beka rolled her eyes and left.   
  
Harper mumbled as he dozed off. "-Something to tell you…"   
  
When she reached the Nietzchean Bridge, Dylan was the only one there. She saw no sign of Tyr.   
  
"How is he?" Dylan asked.   
  
"Fine." Beka said. "Where's Tyr?"  
  
Dylan sighed. "Back with the records."   
  
"Nothing else is new. So we can't reinitiate the ship without Harper around. What are we going to do now?" She asked. Her heat pack beeped and she adjusted it.   
  
"Hang around and try to find out more about this ship. Who did it come across?"   
  
Beka thought for a moment. "The ship was already damaged by the time another attack came. According to Rommie, the ship had severe casualties. The last battle only worsened things. Three of the transports are gone. The crew must have abandoned the Pixanthi."  
  
"Cowards.' Tyr said from the bridge entrance. "The captain and his command crew deserted the ship and condemned it to her death."  
  
"What happened to them?" Dylan asked.   
  
"Leonai Soma and his crew were destroyed by Magog forces days after their escape. Some Nietzcheans believe them to be heroes. If only they knew what really happened and why they were destroyed on their transports and not on the Pixanthi." Tyr accessed a file and it appeared on the main screen in front of them.   
  
"Harper may be the engineer, but I know Nietzchean ships, especially this one. We can reactivate the ship through this sequence code. Once we enter it, it will scan the ship for any Nietzchean presence. Any other life form detected anywhere but the brig will alert its security protocol." The console beeped and another file materialized.   
  
Dylan looked at Beka. "Guess we should be heading to the brig." He said.   
  
Beka tilted her head. "I never thought I'd be down there."   
  
"First time for everything. Lets go get Harper." Dylan said.   
  
Tyr stopped them before they left the bridge. "Once I enter the sequence, I cannot stop it. Tell me when you have reached the brig." He said. Dylan nodded.   
  
"Harper." Beka whispered. The engineer shifted in the bunk.   
  
Dylan appeared behind her. "Harper."  
  
Beka rolled her eyes and took out a small rectangular device. She pressed a button and poked it into his arm.   
  
"Ahh!" Harper shouted as the electricity jolted through his arm.   
  
"About time." Beka said, standing up.   
  
"Don't do that.' Harper said.   
  
"Come on, we gotta go." Dylan and Beka hoisted him to his feet, though he was still confused.   
  
"Why? What happened?" He asked as they ran through the ship.   
  
"If you weren't busy sleeping, you'd know." Beka said. They turned a few corners.   
  
They reached the lower decks. "We're there." Beka said. On the bridge, Tyr nodded. "I will begin now."  
  
"Begin what?" Harper asked. He felt like a little kid in a big crowd of adults, trying to get attention. No one listened.   
  
"We're going to reactivate the ship." Dylan finally said.   
  
Tyr pressed a few more letters and numbers into the computer. One by one, they keyed in.   
  
"Reac--you mean you're going to turn it back on?!?" Harper yelled.   
  
Beka started at him. "Yeah, what-"   
  
"There's a change in the program!" Harper said. "The captain, Lenny Coma, whatever his name is. He was so obsessed with his ship that he changed the codes around. The one Tyr's entering now is the one to activate the intruder security protocol. The captain didn't want anyone else to have his ship, but he wouldn't destroy it. So he changed the program. If Tyr doesn't stop--"   
  
A computerized voice wafted through the ship. "Sequence code accepted. Program initiated."   
  
"We're too late." Harper said. "The ship's going to start it's scan. It'll detect Tyr and activate the security measures.'   
  
"What are those?" Beka asked. "The system's damaged, maybe it won't work."   
  
Harper shook his head. "This section is fail-proof. It operates independently from the rest of the internal defense system. It'll activate whether the ship's dead or alive."  
  
Tyr stood on the bridge, waiting. Dylan's voice came through the channel. Harper's frenzied array of technobabble permeated the background.   
  
"Tyr, get out of there now." He said. "The program's been tampered with. The ship's going to defend itself against what it thinks are intruders."  
  
Tyr was taken aback. "How did-"   
  
"The former captain." Dylan said. "Go now."   
  
The computer voice came again. "Intruder alert. Intruder alert. Systems security protocol activated."   
  
Tyr couldn't do anything now. He just stood on the bridge. The Nietzchean ship started to flash. It's signals glowed with red, like it would in emergency situations.   
  
"Commencing self-destruct sequence."   
  
"We're never going to get out in time." Beka said. "We're too far down."   
  
"Tyr could still get out." Dylan said.   
  
"Tyr?" Beka shouted through the din of the alarms.   
  
"The bridge has sealed off. I can't access the doors." The Nietzchean stopped trying to budge the heavy gates. "We're all trapped.'   
  
"Well, this has been a wonderful ride courtesy of Deranged and Insane Airlines. Thank you for riding, next stop, ugly death and oblivion!" Harper shouted. "First class seating will be situated in the brig of all places."   
  
"Nice knowing you." Beka said to Dylan and Harper.   
  
"Self-destruct in ten…"   
  
"Nine"   
  
"This is how I go out.' Harper said. "Great."   
  
'Six."  
  
"Five…"   
  
"And I never told Rommie goodbye." He said.   
  
"Three…"  
  
"Rev and Trance, I never told them either…"   
  
"One."   



	3. Frozen Chapter 3

5 Minutes Earlier  
  
"Dylan?" Rommie said. Nothing. She shut off the transmission in futility. "Why aren't they answering?"  
  
"Perhaps something happened." Rev said, walking in. Rommie shook her head. "I've been monitoring-" Her eyes stopped at a blinking red light emanating from her screen. "Security protocols have been activated. Level 5. That's the top clearance level. But who-" She stopped. "They reactivated the ship." Her expression grew confused.   
  
She turned to Rev, but she thought mostly to herself. "How did they end up activating security? They would've made sure it detected Tyr as the only person on board. Unless something went wrong…"   
  
She tried to contact them again. Nothing. "During reactivation, transmission must be severed." She mused. "It's too dangerous to try to go over there."   
  
The red blip on her screen suddenly ignited throughout the ship. Her expression grew worried and panicked, though she herself did not.   
  
"This can't be right. The ship-it's self destructing." She tried to contact them once more, only to end in discouragement. "Something went wrong. Beka? Harper?!?"   
  
"Overriding security measures." She said, to no one. She was just so used to it. She threw her hands up in vain. "I can't stop it."   
  
***   
  
The silence was deafening. Harper thought he was dead. Well, wait.   
  
"Are we dead?" He cried, looking at Dylan and Beka.   
  
"If we are, this is not my idea of heaven." Beka said, looking at the drab metal walls. "Something happened. Did Tyr stop the detonation?"   
  
"I did not." Came the Nietzchean's voice from the door. "But someone did."   
  
When they had stepped out of the brig and had reached the nearest console, Beka and Dylan set to contacting the Andromeda.   
  
"Uh, shouldn't we work on getting off the ship?" Harper asked, standing by the door.   
  
"We could, but then what?" Dylan asked. "Whatever our plan is, we need to figure it out now."   
  
"And we could get blown up." He said.   
  
"Whoa!" Beka shouted, backing away from the console. Everyone turned, their arguments dropped.   
  
She looked up. "Sensors show movement in engineering." She said. She touched a few more keys. "There's also a temperature fluctuation in Sickbay-"  
  
"The cryogenic unit." Dylan said and started running. Harper, Tyr, and Beka soon followed.   
  
When they got into sickbay, the Cryo unit was open and the frozen girl inside was missing.   
  
"Ohh great. Walking Popsicle." Harper said. He snapped his fingers. "Engineering."   
  
"Tyr, Beka." Dylan said, starting to walk out. "Harper you contact Rommie."   
  
"Got it boss." Harper saluted as they left.   
  
The three entered engineering with their weapons raised. Dylan motioned to the left and right and Beka and Tyr went on their separate ways.   
  
Dylan walked through the large room, his force lance ready.   
  
"Mr. Captain, sir." Harper's voice came through the Comm.   
  
"What's going on?" Dylan said quietly.   
  
"I think you should know that our Popsicle is now on the bridge." He said. "And she's powering up the ship."   
  
'I thought this thing couldn't move!" Dylan said as he and the others started towards the bridge.   
  
"This piece of junk needs elevators." Beka muttered.   
  
Tyr just growled and shot her a glare. She returned one of her own as they continued to run.   
  
"It can move, but I couldn't access the controls to move it." Rommie's voice came on the line.   
  
When they got to the bridge, the outer doors were sealed shut.   
  
"I can't override it." She said. "Whoever is in there knows all the codes better than I do. I can only use what I get from the ship's databanks."   
  
Dylan sighed. "What can we do?" He said.   
  
Harper arrived with a few pieces of equipment. They gathered around him. Tyr shot an angry look back at the sealed doors.   
  
"Well, first. If anyone else has noticed, it's gotten a bit cold here. Our heat packs seemed to have panicked in the impending doom we were facing and uh, they don't work anymore. So I'm still trying to get the temperature variants to stabilize." He said. "Second, our Popsicle in there definitely knows what she's doing."   
  
"Stop calling her a Popsicle, Harper." Beka said, shaking her head.   
  
"What do I call her?"   
  
"You can call me Kait." A voice came from behind them.   
  
They all turned to see the formerly frozen Nietzchean standing behind them.   
  
"You look alive." Beka concluded.   
  
"You look Orca Pride." Tyr remarked.   
  
"You look great!" Three guesses as to who said that.   
  
Kait tilted her head, as to examine Harper and his eyes, which were obviously wide.   
  
"Well, if only all cryogenically frozen people woke up to that, it'd be a perfect universe, now wouldn't it?" She said, and smiled. "Isn't it a little cold on this ship?"   
  
"This coming from someone who just spent the last hundred years in a freeze tube." Beka said, shaking her head.   
  
"Trust me, there's so much you don't know." Kait said, and grinned. And not even Tyr could escape shuddering at the smile.   



	4. Frozen Chapter 4

  
  
  
"So let me get this straight." Beka said, her hand leaving the cup of warm liquid to raise a finger. "The doctor of the ship cryogenically froze you because he thought the Captain would abandon the ship?"  
  
I can't believe this girl. Beka shook her head and her eyes widened.   
  
Kait nodded. "The captain was a bit insane and glory-hungry, if you hadn't found out by now. Doc thought that the only way he could keep the ship safe was to have someone to keep it safe."   
  
"And the web?" Harper asked, with peaked interest.   
  
"The web was a Niet prototype, to be used later on in the war. It was being tested on the Pixanthi. And when the ship was lost, or rather abandoned, it kept on running."   
  
Tyr growled from his corner.   
  
Kait turned around and shrugged in exasperation. "What's the problem?"  
  
The rest of the crew seemed to be genuinely surprised that she spoke to Tyr in the way she did. While they often felt reserved around Tyr, she talked to him like he was an annoying child, or god forbid, a brother.  
  
"My problem." He said lowly. "Is that you seem to have forgotten about your heritage."   
  
"My heritage began on Rania. That's where I was raised and that's where I spent my life. It's my home." She said, frowning. "You were right, by the way. I am Orca pride."   
  
"So your parents left their pride when the others started to turn on each other?" Beka asked, knowing Tyr was burning a hole in the back of her head with his glare.   
  
Kait nodded. "They started hearing the prides talk about each other. The war was still warming up and they didn't want to be a part of it. So we left."   
  
"And you went to Rania?" Dylan asked.   
  
Kait nodded again. "It's a planet deep in the universe. We thought we'd be safe there. And then they came."   
  
"Who?" Harper asked.   
  
"The Nietzcheans. Mainly the Kodiak pride. They had heard about our 'disgrace' and started on a retrieval mission." She said. "They killed my parents but I was lucky enough to escape. Doc really helped me."   
  
"He sneaked you on board the Pixanthi." Andromeda said in conclusion.  
  
"And he made me a part of the crew. Soma didn't care about anyone but his own hide and his command crew. He wouldn't have known I wasn't a part of the original crew."   
  
Kait took a sip of her tea. "Soma was completely insane. He wouldn't let any of his crew leave the ship or transfer. His official report back to the Nietzcheans was that his crew was too loyal to each other."  
  
"That was a whole load of bull." Harper said. "He didn't want anyone telling about his problems."   
  
"Exactly." Kait said.   
  
"So the doctor stashed you away in case the ship ever reactivated. You would be able to stop the self destruct sequence." Dylan said, shaking his head. "This is getting more complicated by the minute."   
  
They all nodded in agreement.   
  
Kait downed the last of her tea. She turned to Harper. "Come on, I'll help you fix the temperature variants." She smiled.   
  
As they walked out of the mess hall, Tyr stood up.   
  
"I don't trust her." He said.   
  
"You're just mad because she isn't quiet around you like you're used to." Beka said.   
  
"I have heard if her family. The story was made into an example for all those who wanted to leave." He said grimly. "After the raid on Rania, they brought her parents back to the base. They were the example."   
  
"So what, you think she's out to get revenge on Nietzcheans?" Beka asked.   
  
"She knows far too much for being in a cryogenic unit for so long."   
  
With that last bitter growl, he walked out.  
  
***   
  
"Sorry about the Popsicle thing, by the way." Harper said as he connected a few wires. A few yards away, Kait was working on the conduit.   
  
"No problem." She said. "At least someone on this ship can joke."   
  
"They are pretty stony, aren't they?" Harper said. "Eh, well. They're good people."   
  
"Yeah. I don't think Tyr likes me. Or at least, he doesn't trust me."   
  
"You're not by the book Nietzchean. Hell, you aren't like any Nietzcheans I know. But then again, I only know one, so maybe that doesn't count too much."   
  
Kait laughed. "I wasn't raised one. Rania was a planet for Niets who didn't want to be a part of the betrayal process. We saw the corruption in the prides and we didn't want any part in it."   
  
"I wouldn't worry about Tyr. You're family." Harper said. "I think this is almost-"   
  
The lights flickered and they plunged into darkness.   
  
"Harper?" Dylan said over the comm.   
  
"Sorry, boss." Harper said, shrugging in the darkness. He did something else and a few of the lights sputtered back to life.   
  
Sheathed in partial darkness, Beka crossed the bridge and analyzed the ship's scanners.   
  
She frowned.   
  
"Dylan." She said, looking up. Hunt took his attention away from the comm. and looked at his commander.   
  
"We have an approaching ship." Beka said.   



	5. Frozen Chapter 5

"Can we move this piece of trash?" Beka shouted as she ran through the corridors. A few sparks flew from a nearby panel and she ducked.   
  
From engineering, Kait and Harper worked as fast as they could to repair damage.   
  
On the bridge, Dylan was standing with Tyr, watching the other ship float in front of them.   
  
"Who are they?" Dylan asked.   
  
"A Nietzchean retrieval unit. Powering up the ship must have activated a signal." He cast a glare at Dylan.   
  
"Before we point any fingers…."   
  
"I'm not." Tyr responded. "I'm not pointing any fingers. I am accusing Harper's new girlfriend of sabotage."  
  
"All right, before we accuse anyone…."   
  
"It's quite all right."   
  
Tyr and Dylan both turned. Kait stood behind them, her arms covered in minute scratches and burns from the ship's spontaneous sparks.   
  
"I'm used to it." She said. "The truth of the matter is, I knew that the retrieval team would get a lock on our signal when the ship powered up and the net was disabled."   
  
"You did?" Dylan asked.   
  
"Yes." She said. "But it doesn't change things. You don't know it, but the team has been watching the Andromeda as soon as they entered Nietzchean space."   
  
Dylan stepped forward. "First off, this is free space. It doesn't belong to anyone."   
  
"That's not the way they see it." Beka said, walked in. "She's right. We've been monitored."   
  
"How do you know?" Tyr asked.   
  
"I remember when we entered this region, Rommie detected weird spikes in the sensors. I thought it was nothing cause the ship was still shaky from that last run in with the commerce ship. But now I know. They've been monitoring us with low emission waves. They can't see where we are, just that we're there."   
  
"And they couldn't find the Pixanthi until she powered up."   
  
"So now they know where the Pixanthi is and they can probably guess that we're the ones who helped it up." Beka started to push buttons on a console. "Harper managed to get the weapons and targeting online."   
  
"But it still can't move." Dylan said. "We're sitting ducks without maneuverability."   
  
"Which is why we isolate the net from the rest of the ship and take it with us." Kait said. "If Harper and I can find a way to take the net and replant it on the Andromeda, we can leave the Pixanthi." She shook her head. "I want to save it, but it just takes too much time. We have these squadrons on our tails and there'll be more coming."   
  
"She's right." Beka said. "They know where we are."   
  
"Why are they waiting?" Dylan asked. "Why not either attack us or board us?"  
  
"Retrieval teams are usually eight to fifteen member crews. I don't think they know how many people are on this ship." Tyr said, frowning.   
  
"Well I wouldn't want to keep them waiting." Dylan said, his eyes focused on the looming mass. "Kait, you and Harper try to get this ship moving. Get me anything you can, but focus on getting maneuverability and propulsion." He looked at Tyr and Beka. "We need to send the Andromeda messages without them knowing."   
  
***   
  
"Who knew this thing was ever capable of flight?" Harper asked wearily. He kicked a sheet of mesh covering away and peeked inside at the large bundle of wires. They grew from sockets in the hull, surrounded by lights blinking in a panic.   
  
"It definitely flew well." Kait said, handing him a tool. 'While it could."   
  
"Well, it's going to take a lot of rewiring." He said, shaking his head.   
  
"We can handle it." She said, yanking a stray wire. She held it up to the light. "Hey look at this."   
  
"What?"  
  
"Look at all the other wires."   
  
They both stared at the jumped mess before them.   
  
"That wire I would classify as…fuschia." He said, scrunching his face in thought.   
  
"It's certainly not white, black, red, or green." She shrugged. "Wait, here's another one."   
  
"What does it lead to?" Harper asked, and his fingers trailed the wire to a small metal box.  
  
He pulled it out.   
  
"Uh…" He set it on the floor. He fingered the latch and opened the top.   
  
His voice caught in his throat.   
  
"Call Dylan."   



	6. Frozen Chapter 6

  
"So to put it simply, what we have here is-" Dylan paced around the meeting room, one hand making gestures.   
  
"A detonation device triggered by the removal of the net." Harper finished.   
  
"So we can't take the net-" Dylan started again.   
  
"Without setting off a chain reaction." Kait finished.   
  
"We're sitting ducks." Beka concluded. "And there is absolutely no way we can take out the detonator?"   
  
Harper shook his head. "I'd love to say there was, but we can't do it without setting off some kind of chain reaction. I mean, this is a big ship. We've only been looking around for about an hour, but as far as I can tell there's tons of this. It's connected through the whole ship."   
  
"So let's cut our losses and go." Beka said. "It's a grand prize, but I don't feel like getting killed for it."   
  
"It's a part of Nietzchean history. And no one knew of it. I think that the remaining prides would be better off knowing what a madman their "hero" Soma was." He scoffed at the mention of Soma and "hero" in the same sentence.   
  
"I agree." Dylan said, looking at Tyr. "But we can't do it at the cost of our lives. Is there any way we could disconnect the device at some point in it's wiring?"  
  
"It's possible, but we don't know how far it spreads." Kait said. "So far we've seen the wiring in weapons and life support.."   
  
"Soma was one tricky bastard, he didn't want anyone getting the net." Beka said, shaking her head.   
  
"Harper are all the net schematics and data downloaded aboard Andromeda?" Dylan asked. His engineer nodded.   
  
"Every last drop, Boss. Yeah, uh, there's some technical difficulties but I should be able to fill in the blanks." He said, smiling at Kait.   
  
Beka rolled her eyes. "So what do you have in mind?"   
  
Dylan sat down. "Can we replicate the net?" Dylan asked.   
  
"We'd need some very Nietzchean technology." Harper said. "This ship has it all. What, you want to make another one?"   
  
"I've come to the realization that we can't leave the ship here. And we can't leave it with the net activated. And we shouldn't let something like this sit here, or else someone else is going to come along and they're going to want to take it."   
  
The crew nodded, agreeing.   
  
"So that leaves us no choice. Do we want the net?"   
  
The question hung in the air, a burden for all of them. Kait sat patiently, feeling slightly out of place. She didn't know where she was, where she belonged.  
  
"I don't like the idea of it going to someone else." Beka said. "But it would help us greatly."   
  
"Soma used it to defeat his enemies." Tyr said. "We've made many enemies."   
  
"But we've always been able to hold our own." Harper said. "We didn't need a net to do any of that."   
  
"He's right." Dylan said, nodding toward his engineer, who smiled proudly. "But we can't win it all."   
  
Harper's grin waned.   
  
He turned to Kait. "Can you try to find out if we can disconnect the detonator at any point in the wiring?"   
  
Kait nodded. She stood up and cast a look to the rest of the crew before leaving the room.   
  
Once the door slid shut, Dylan turned to his crew.   
  
"We need to talk about after." Dylan said.   
  
"After what?" Beka asked.   
  
"The retrieval team is at our back door and they're going to strike any second. Beka, if you can get back to the Andromeda, you could provide some defense for the Pixanthi while we work." She nodded and Dylan looked to his security. "Tyr, I know you're not on the best of terms with other Nietzcheans." Tyr shrugged. "But I need you to stall them. Not a lot, just enough so that we can either work out a deal, which I doubt, or for us to repair the damage. And if we can't, we get out of here."   
  
Tyr nodded. He didn't fully agree with his plan, but what else was there to do? They were in a bad position, their choices were few.   
  
"Harper." Dylan said. "You and Kait need to find a route to disconnect us. But more importantly, you need to put self destruct on standby."   
  
"Self destruct?" Harper asked slowly.   
  
"Yes. If we can't get this thing moving, we can't risk it falling into other hands." He said. "And we have all the data, we can try to rebuild it, if we need to."   
  
Harper saluted quietly.   
  
"And that leaves one more issue." Dylan said. "Kait. Where's she going to go after this is all over?"   
  
"If we're lucky, we'll all die in a blaze of glory." Tyr grumbled.   
  
"I vote she stays." Harper said gleefully, ignoring Tyr.   
  
"You would." Beka said, rolling her eyes.   
  
"I need honest opinions here." Dylan said. "Can we trust her?"   
  
"I think we can." Beka said. 'And I don't trust anyone."   
  
"Neither do I. And I am still very cautious." Tyr said.   
  
"She saved our lives." Harper said.   
  
"Well, we know Harper's vote." Beka said.   
  
Dylan considered the opinions that were voiced. "I think she's a valuable member, in light of our present situation. She's asked no questions as to who we are, or what we have done."   
  
"We're the good guys." Harper said.   
  
"And that's why she trusted us." Dylan said. "Let's get to work and we'll figure out the ending."   
  
They all stood up and left the room, each separating to accomplish their own impossible goal.   
  
***   
  
"How's it going?" Harper asked, entering engineering.   
  
"Not bad. Not well either." She said. "It's a big untidy heap of cables. It'd take days to find my way through this."   
  
"Well now you have help." Harper said. "Let's see…life support is over there, so propulsion's over here."   
  
"No, propulsion is over there." Kait said, pointing to another spot on Harper diagram.   
  
"But it says on here that propulsion is lined up with the-"   
  
"Then why is it stretched all the way through to here?" She asked.   
  
"What the hell is going on?" He asked, confused.   
  
"Where did that manual come from?" She asked.   
  
"Rommie got it off the ship system." Harper said absently. He stopped fiddling with a wire. "the ship's system."   
  
"It would make sense, with everything being turned around."   
  
"Is it opposite day?" Harper asked. "Cause this is very, very, turned around."   
  
***  
  
"Boss!" Harper shouted running into the command deck.   
  
Dylan and Beka both turned around.   
  
"We found something." Kait said.   
  
"Okay, you know how everything on this ship's been turned inside out and upside down?"   
  
Beka nodded.   
  
"It's happened again. The connections to the detonator aren't for the net." Harper said.   
  
"It's for the propulsion system." Kait said. "That's why we haven't been able to move."   
  
"Whoa, wait. Slow down. What?" Beka asked.   
  
"Soma switched it all around. The box is a detonator for propulsion. We can't move, and if we do, the chain reaction starts."   
  
"So what about the net, can we disable that?" Dylan asked.   
  
"That's where we have another problem." Kait said. "When the Andromeda entered Pixanthi space, the net activated, whereas before it was dormant. When it activated, it also reconnected itself back to the box. The only way we can get the net off the ship is if we turn it off. If we turn it off, we turn the box off. If the box turns off, we're little bits of space debris."   
  
Dylan shook his head. "Doesn't change anything. We still can't get propulsion and we can't get the net." He sighed. "We're going back to the Andromeda. Start auto-self destruct."   
  
No one spoke as Tyr entered the code for the self destruct sequence. Harper was at another console, doing something. No one questioned about what he was doing. The silence was suffocating as the console beeped quietly.   
  
"Self destruct sequence confirmed." Tyr said finally.   
  
"I blocked the signal, so any approaching ship won't know its about to go off." He said. "And there's no way to shut it off, as long as you have the code."   
  
Dylan nodded. "Good work. Okay, let's go home." Dylan turned to Kait. "If you want to, you're more than welcome to become a part of the crew."   
  
"Seeming that you sort of already are." Harper piped in. Beka wanted to kick him in the shins, but she was too far away.   
  
Kait seemingly couldn't comprehend why the captain would suggest a welcome to her. She hadn't had contact with anyone for decades and suddenly she was being welcomed to be apart of another crew.   
  
"Thank you." She said, after a long drawn out stillness. "Thank you a lot."   
  
"So you will come with us?" Beka asked.   
  
Kait slowly nodded, to Harper's delight. "Yeah, it looks like you'll need an extra hand."   
  
"Good." Tyr said, to everyone's surprise. "Have you had Nietzchean training?"   
  
"Not extensively." She replied. "But I'd like to learn."   
  
Tyr nodded.   
  
"It's settled then. Welcome to the Andromeda." Dylan said, smiling. As they departed the command deck to enter the docking bay, Beka turned to Kait.   
  
"You don't drink coffee, do you?" She asked.   
  
"Hey." Harper said, frowning.   



	7. Frozen Chapter 7

** Note: Rev was never a favorite character of mine, and since the departure of Rev, I have decided to "phase" him out of the story. Well, sort of. Before he was merely mentioned and never seen or had any lines because face it, I forgot. But now Rev will not be mentioned.  
  
** Tired of Trance being the defenseless one. This is not supposed to be set in any particular time, but now it is. It's after the happenings of the Tesseract that brought in future Trance, a killer with the weapons.  
  
  
  
"Trance?" Dylan said.  
  
"I'm trying, I'm trying!" She said, irritated.  
  
"No, no. I need to know where you are." Dylan said.  
  
"Sickbay." Trance said. 'What's going on?"  
  
"Get out of sickbay, see if Harper and Kait need any help."  
  
"Dylan, the Nietzchean ship is hailing us." Rommie said.  
  
"Great…" Dylan moaned. "All right."  
  
The image came up and a blonde man appeared, his angular face dark and angry. He allowed nothing else to be shown but his face. Tactical strategy as well as an attempt to intimidate your opponent. Dylan noted.  
  
"I am Captain—"  
  
"I know who you are, Captain." The man said briskly. "And I've come to take back what is rightfully ours."  
  
"I'm afraid then, that you have come in vain." Dylan said. He hoped not to rile them up, but it had to be clear what he intended.  
  
Apparently the still unintroducted Nietzchean had his own intentions also.  
  
"Captain, I wish to bring you terms of agreement. I am Jules Orin of the Kodiak Pride. My objective here is to retrieve the Pixanthi, but in honesty, I don't care about the ship. It's useless, it's a piece of metal that I have no care for. However, there is one thing on it I have been sent to retrieve."  
  
"Which is?"  
  
"If you will allow my crew, a minimum amount, six or so, to come aboard the Pixanthi, we will take what is ours and leave. This issue does not concern you, and we don't want conflict. Just what is ours."  
  
"I can't let you take anything when I don't know what you're taking." Dylan said coldly.  
  
"Captain, the Pixanthi is no longer your concern." He said, narrowing his eyes.  
  
"But it isn't yours either." He said, and motioned for Rommie to disconnect.  
  
"So?" Dylan asked, looking around.  
  
"They want the weapon." Tyr concluded.  
  
"Then we should inform them that the structure of this ship does not allow for it's removal."  
  
"Rommie what's the self destruct count?"  
  
"Fifteen hours and eighteen minutes."  
  
"That's a long time to sit on our eggs." Beka said. "We have to reply to them sometime. If we can't get that thing off, we blow it up. But meanwhile, they're going to want to have it."  
  
"Harper?" Trance walked into engineering bay and immediately stopped. She had to jump past a large metal structure to avoid a flying piece of debris that clattered to the floor.  
  
"Sorry Trance." Harper said from behind something.  
  
"Where—where are you?" She asked, looking around. She felt like she was on a strange alien world, surrounded by voices.  
  
"Behind Susie."  
  
"Susie?" Trance asked, stepping between equal parts debris and equipment.  
  
Harper stood up. "Susie, the new and slightly smaller version of the large and mean Nietzchean net. She's a little bare bones, but don't call her that, she's conscious about her figure."  
  
"Why do guys name their toys?" Kait said as she stood up from a corner of the room. It was only the fourth or fifth time Trance had seen her. And every time, Harper had been nearby. She had her reservations, but she could see that where trouble laid, any help was welcome.  
  
"Does it work?" trance asked.  
  
"Does it work?! Does it work?!?" Harper exclaimed and threw his hands up. "….Well, not really. But it will!"  
  
"We better hurry. Not to rush you or anything."  
  
"Don't worry about it, Trance babe, we're doing fine." At the 'fine' a bright blue spark jumped out. Harper leapt back in surprise.  
  
"Susie's got a spark to her." Kait said. "The compiler is done."  
  
"Great." Harper said.  
  
Suddenly there was a jolt and everyone was thrown to the floor. Trance landed on something square and a sharp pain ran through her side.  
  
"Everyone all right?" Kait asked as she struggled to regain balance among the metal pieces.  
  
"Susie and I are just fine." Harper said, patting the net on the 'head'. "just…fine…"  
  
"Harper, Kait, you got that net done yet?" Beka's voice came over the comm. "Cause we really need it about now."  
  
"I'll have it up in no time." His face disagreed with his resolve. "Hopefully."  
  
In the background he heard Rommie say something. "Prepare for collision." Beka said and switched off. A jolt, a bit smaller this time, rocked the engineering bay.  
  
"Trance, can you hand me that over there?" Harper asked. Trance complied and looked around. 'Anything you need me to do?" She asked. "Yeah, can you find me a box of these bolts?" he showed her a large rounded piece. She turned and stared at the myriad of metal before her.  
  
"…Sure. I'll find it." She said, sighing.  
  
  
  
"Captain Hunt, I assure you, you will be entirely safe."  
  
"Then you'll trust me when I say that you will be entirely safe. On the Andromeda." Dylan said. He wanted to directly ask Orin if he would just like Dylan to put on a space suit and float out into space for him to target his missiles at. He could tell that Tyr believed it to be entirely too obvious also.  
  
"If you think we have something planned, you are mistaken, Captain. What we will discuss cannot leave the counsel of either of us. I cannot allow my crew to view or hear confidential information and I trust that you will not do the same."  
  
"Then come over here. Bring one guard if you would like.? He knew he was making a huge leap, letting Orin bring someone else. Someone who could wreak havoc. But what could he do?  
  
"Thank you for your offer, but now I must extend the same to you. Board my ship and bring one guard with you."  
  
"Then I am afraid we are at a standstill." Tyr said, mostly to himself.  
  
"Dylan." Beka said quietly.  
  
"I can't believe I'm doing this…but I think you should go over there."  
  
"What?" Tyr looked up. "Are you mad?"  
  
"I've been thinking. What if they're not after the net?"  
  
"What are you talking about?"  
  
"The net was experimental, classified. What if they don't know about it? What if they want the other thing on this ship?" She said.  
  
"You mean Kait."  
  
She nodded. "You remember he said he was from Kodiak Pride. They were the ones that killed her parents. They're probably looking for her and knew she was on the Pixanthi."  
  
"So…what do we do?" Rommie asked. She sighed. "I don't like the idea of leaving our side."  
  
"Neither do I. But I have to get to the bottom of this. And if what you are thinking is true, and its possible, then we have a larger situation on our hands." He said. "All right."  
  
  
  
"Then we have a deal?" Orin said. "You will board my ship, with one other crew member."  
  
He emphasized the one.  
  
"Yes. That is the terms of our agreement." Dylan said, trying to not show his discomfort.  
  
The screen dissipated and he turned.  
  
"I'll be the maru ready." Beka said.  
  
"Beka, you're not going."  
  
"What? You can't take Tyr, he's a Nietzchean. Can't take Harper."  
  
"I'm taking Trance."  
  
"Why?" Beka asked.  
  
"I—I don't know." He said. "But I am."  
  
"Dylan, it would be much more effective if I went." Rommie said, stepping forward.  
  
"No. I'll explain it when I have the answers, but Trance is going. He left the bridge and walked into engineering."  
  
"Trance."  
  
"Dylan?"  
  
"You're coming with me."  
  
Trance gave Harper a tool and left with Dylan. "Where are we going?"  
  
"It's time you put those battle skills to use." He said. "We're boarding a Nietzchean ship." 


End file.
